Blue Jeans Boosts Chrome, Mobile Support in Video Meeting Service

Blue Jeans Network this week rolled out the latest version of its cloud-based video conferencing service that includes an improved unified user interface for better desktop and WebRTC support for Google Chrome.

Blue Jeans 3.0 also includes improved support for a range of collaboration tools, including Slack and Canvas, which company officials said will complement the current integrations with such services as Salesforce's Chatter, Microsoft's Outlook and Google Calendar. There also are improved analytics and enhancements to Blue Jeans' apps for Apple's iOS and Google Android.

The improvements to Blue Jeans' video collaboration service is designed to help workers save time, improve the experience for participants and make the meetings more effective, according to Erin Denlea, senior manager of international marketing at Blue Jeans.

"The key benefits for businesses include significant upgrades for desktop and mobile users, new integrations and third-party apps to help improve collaboration, ease of use and video and audio capabilities," Denlea wrote in a post on the company blog.

With an increasingly mobile workforce and trends like bring-your-own-device (BYOD) and cloud computing, employees and executives are looking for ways to collaborate with each other, partners and customers from anywhere and at anytime, and on any device, such as laptops, smartphones and tablets. Businesses are still using complex, expensive room systems, but the trend now is toward software- and cloud-based solutions, according to analysts at IDC.

Established vendors like Cisco Systems, Polycom and Logitech's Lifesize Communications business are rapidly growing their cloud and software solutions, while a growing number of smaller companies—including Blue Jeans Network, as well as Vidyo, Zoom Communications and others—are getting traction in the market by offering software- and cloud-only products.

"This has been made possible due to developments in collaboration technology such as cloud-based video conferencing and document sharing capabilities," Denlea wrote. "The widespread use of the cloud has greatly increased flexibility and mobility so that employees can now easily work from anywhere in the world."

The new user interface in Blue Jeans 3.0 offers improved audio capabilities and single-click connections, while the Blue Jeans Command Center comes with advanced reporting, analytics and ROI data, officials said. WebRTC is a technology that enables video conferencing via the browser, and the WebRTC support for Google Chrome includes a new user interface, audio capabilities and usability improvements.

The enhancements to the iOS and Android apps include a new interface, quick-action menu, and a mode for saving battery life and data, officials said.